Sustainable energy policy

Working Together for Global Clean Energy - This past week the Clean Energy Ministerial met in London and had its most successful meeting to date, greatly expanding a number of its climate-friendly technology cooperation commitments, while also introducing new initiatives, including a partnership to utilize renewable energy and energy efficiency through smart grids. (Rebecca Lefton and Andrew Light, Center for American Progress)

Rivalry or friendship as EU, China hold energy talks? - Energy security, power markets and sustainable urban development top the agenda at talks on Thursday between European Commission bosses and visiting Chinese officials, led by Vice Premier Li Keqiang, as both sides scramble for supplies and market share. (Barbara Lewis, Reuters)

Energy efficiency

International conference on sustainable biomass for electricity generation opens in Austria - An international conference titled, Biomass for Electricity: Greening Electricity Generation for Energy Access, that opened in Austria today will help further bolster the United Nations Sustainable Energy for All initiative. (Mikhail Evstafyev, UNIDO press release)

Retroficiency Implements Green Button Compatibility With Virtual Energy Assessment - Company validates compatibility by identifying 34% savings potential in a building through assessment of energy interval data in green button format. (MarketWatch)

Coalition Wants to Squeeze More Energy Efficiency from Appliances - New designs for more energy-efficient household appliances are among the top goals announced April 26 at a high-level governmental forum working to speed the global transition to cleaner technologies. (SynTao News)

Energy access

Conference preview: Small island developing states to tackle universal energy access - How can small island developing countries promote universal access to sustainable energy and boost renewable energy production and energy efficiency? (Ivy Mungcal, DevEx)

BMTC will tap solar energy for its buses - Public transport will go green in a few years with BMTC  set to introduce solar-powered buses. Officials are in talks with research & development companies on manufacturing and operating these buses. (The Times of India)

Rio+20

UNDP Administrator to Visit China Ahead of Rio+20 - Ms. Helen Clark, Administrator of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and Chair of the United Nations Development Group, will pay an official visit to China from 16 to 19 May. (EIN News)

Works not Waste -- Visions for a Green Economy - The Rio+20 meeting is just a few weeks away. Sitting here in India's sixth largest city, Pune, there is evidence of deep transformation since the last United Nations Conference on Environment and Development in Rio, in 1992. (Bharati Chaturvedi, The Huffington Post)

Renewable energy

Durban to Explore Sea-Current Power With Hydro Alternative - South Africa’s southeastern coastal city of Durban is considering developing plants to generate electricity from sea-currents together with Hydro Alternative Energy Inc., which says the project would be the first of its kind. (Niki Moore, Bloomberg)

Land of the rising solar industry attracts firms - Chinese solar companies are expanding into Japan, where the solar industry is receiving more government support as the country is reducing its dependence on nuclear power following a nuclear accident last year. (Liu Yiyu, China Daily)

Domestic manufacturers expand into new markets - As the European and US solar markets present more and more difficulties to Chinese photovoltaic companies, such businesses are changing their plans in an attempt at expanding into new markets. (Liu Yiyu, China Daily)